Kit Harington says 'Game of Thrones' took its toll on his mental health

The actor credited the nature of the HBO series for his decision to seek therapy for his "mental health difficulties."

Kit Harington shared an update on his mental health after his breakout role in "Game of Thrones" prompted him to stop acting for a year.

The 34-year-old English star admitted that the nature of the violent, intense, and emotional show took its toll on his mental health. It broke him down in reality and he was not able to cope afterward.

"I went through some mental health difficulties after Thrones, and during the end of Thrones, to be honest," Harington said in an interview with Sirius XM's "The Jess Cagle Show."

"I think it was directly to do with the nature of the show, and what I've been doing for years," he added.

Harington, who played Jon Snow for the whole eight seasons of "Game of Thrones," eventually made the decision to take a break afterwards to work on his mental health. He said he "took sort of a break" where he told himself, "I don't want to work for a year. I want to really kind of concentrate on myself."

Thus, it was reported that he checked in to the Prive-Swiss rehab clinic in Connecticut in May 2019. Looking back on that decision, the actor said that he is "really happy" that he did that. He also admitted that over time his perspective of the show has evolved since it ended in 2019.

"Part of the journey since it finished...was just becoming proud of that show, and not running away from it. Not running away from what it was, and who I played in it, but just owning it and being proud of everything about it," he admitted as he looked back on meeting his wife Rose Leslie on the set. He and the Scottish actress, who played Ygritte in the series, have since become parents.

"My child is a direct result of 'Game of Thrones.' I still have very, very good friends from that show. It did nothing but wonders for me," he added.

Speaking about his child, Harington said the pandemic was a gift for him and his wife, because it "forced time together." They ended up having a baby and he considered becoming a father as "the major thing that came out of the pandemic" for him. He said he has "had a quite profound and amazing experience during this last year and a half."

After "Game of Thrones," Harington can next be seen in Marvel's "Eternals" which comes out in theatres on Nov. 5.